Under-garment



G. F, DEYENS. Under-Garments.

v No. 227,618. Patented May 18. I880.

Witnesses.-

Inventor; I Maw/ 1,

N.FETLR8. PMOTOJ-JYHOGRAPMm WADQINGTON. n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OOBNELIA F. DEVENS, OF BRATTLEBOROUGH, VERMONT.

UNDER-GARMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 227,618, dated May 18, 1880.

Application filed October 23, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OORNELIA F. DEvENs, of Brattleborough, in the county of Windham and State-of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful lmprovemen ts in VVoinens Under-Garments, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an easy under-garment for the use of women and children which shall unite in a single garment a chemise, corset, and corset-cover, and supporters for the stockings, drawers, and skirts.

The invention mainly consists of a chemise, with or without a high neck or sleeves, stiffened at the waist and for a suitable distance above and below the waist with cording, bones, or other stiffener, as in a corset. Above the stiffening in front the garment is suitably fulled and ornamented, thus answering the purpose of a corset-cover and accommodating the bust. It is laced at the sides, and the lacingis of elastic material, so that the garment may fit comfortably during respiration, and may be put on and off without unlacing.

The garment is fitted with tapes or buttons for the support of other under-garments. It is provided, if desired, with a husk, and is fastened in front with an ordinary fastening or with snap-hooks.

Constructed substantially as described, the garment will be found to contribute increased comfort to the wearer, and to benefit the health whenit has been injured by the use of a tight garment, enablingthe wearer to breathe more fully and freely, and supporting the person While relieving it from undue pressure. Its use will reduce the number of garments ordinarily worn, thus saving labor and material in making. It will also save time in dressing.

In the drawings, where the same letter, wherever occurring, indicates the same part, Figure l is a front view of the garment; Fig.2, a back view, and Fig. 3 a side view from the right. Fig. 4: is a side view of the stocking-supporter.

A A B B is the-chemise, A A- being its body, and B B its skirt. The chemise is gored, so as to' fit somewhat snugly about the waist and hips. It is represented in the drawings as cut with low neck and without sleeves, the armholes being indicated at D.

At 0, c, c, c, and 0 are rows of cording, bones, or other stiifeners or pockets for their reception, inserted in the chemise, and extending from the upper part of the garment to a convenient distance below the waist. The cording or pockets 0 extend from the collar along the median line of the back, 0 down the sides from the armhole D, c from the back of the armhole D down between 0" and c, and 0 extends on each side between 0' and the central line in front from beneath the bustpiece a. The stiffening gives to the body of the chemise the character of a corset.

The stiffeningpieces may be arranged in any other proper manner than that here described.

At a the garment is puffed for the accommodation of the bust, and gathered above the pufiing at the band and below it at the cordin g 0. At it, at each side of the garment, from the base of the armhole D down the middle of the row of stiffening c", the garment is open, and the opening is laced with elastic lacingstring or lacing-braid, which passes through eyelets in the garment at the edges of the open-Q in g, as shown. As a result of this construction the garment yields readily during respiration, so that, though always fitting snugly, it does not obstruct the breathing.

The garment may be put on and taken ofl without unlacing, the slit beneath the lace allowing the lace to be stretched to its utmost extent.

M is an ordinary stocking-supporter, with which each side of the garment is provided.

It is attached on the inside of the garment, as

shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. It consists of a tape of sufficient length to form a loop, as shown, and is sewed to the garment by its ends, one on each side of the side line of the garment just below the waist, and is provided at the fold of the loop with a button or other fastening to engage with the stocking.

Buttons with or without tapes are attached to the garment within and Without at andjust below the waist at h, h, and h, to support the drawers and skirts.

The garment opens in front along the median line, and is there fastened with buttons or fitted with a double busk provided with fastenings.

I claim as my invention- An under-garment consisting of a chemise stifiened in the body portion with corset-stiff- .eners, pufl'ed in front above the stifieners to simulate a corset-cover, provided with side openings to be laced with elastic lacing, and provided with suitable means for supporting the stockings, drawers, and skirt, all substan- 1 tially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myown invention I 'affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OORNELIA F. DEVENS. Vitnesses 0. B. KIRWAN, WM. S. NEWTON. 

